The Key to my Heart
by Cuna999
Summary: Alice Gakuen, a school for mages. Mikan Sakura, a Stellar Mage who dreams of collecting all the keys of the Ecliptic Zodiac. When she forms a teams with Hotaru Imai, Ruka Nogi & Natsume Hyuuga, she never expected any feelings to grow. DISCONTINUED, SORRY.
1. A Stellar Spirit Mage

**Konnichiwa, ****Minna****-san!**

**Well, this is the remake of ****'****Frogs and Toads****'****. It****'****s pretty different, ne? ****:sweatdrop:**

**Again, sorry for the people who really enjoyed Frogs and Toads as it is. This ****fanfic**** will have some similarities, but I think it****'****ll be pretty different overall****…**

**This ****fanfic**** was inspired by the ****manga****"****Fairy Tail****"****, by ****Hiro**** Mashima****, and there will be stuff from there. (****For**** instance, Stellar Spirit Mages)**

**Well, enough of my rambling. Here****'****s the first bit of ****"****The Keys to My Heart****"**

**Note: Mikan and the others are 16, in the High School Division.**

**Disclaimer: I ****Do**** not own ****Gakuen**** Alice, nor Fairy Tail. ****Gakuen**** Alice belongs to Higuchi Tachibana, and Fairy Tail belongs to ****Hiro ****Mashima**

* * *

Seven Keys jingled on a chain, looped around a girl's wrist as a bracelet. 

"Hmmm…" Her chocolate brown eyes scanned the scenery, as her honey-brown hair swayed in the wind.

"So this is the famous school for mages…Alice Academy…"

Before her stood a huge gate, and behind it a bigger school. A large brick wall surrounded the building and whatever else was there, so nothing by the gate and large building could be seen unless you were actually let in.

Soon, a figure approached her. He had blond hair and deep, violet eyes.

"Are you Miss Mikan Sakura?" He asked kindly, smiling.

The brunette nodded.

"My name is Narumi, and I am a teacher here," the man said, "And I welcome you to Alice Academy."

The gates opened, as Mikan gasped lightly. The campus was larger than she'd imagined; three large school buildings, and another large building for dorm rooms, and forests all around. A person could definitely get lost in here without a guide, although since the buildings were large, maybe it wouldn't be too bad…

"Your classroom will be Class B," Narumi informed her. "Your bags have already been sent to your room. Our school doesn't have any uniforms, as some mages wear their own uniforms while using magic. You'll get started right away." He smiled, as he led her into the high school division, and into Class B.

"Dammit! Give me back my ice-cream, Koko!!"

"Mochu! Stop levitating people!"

"ARRRGH! Idiots, just shut up!!"

"Minna-san!" Narumi called. "We have a new student!"

Everyone continued the talking and chaos.

"If you don't listen, I'll kiss you all. My magic is pretty powerful, you know?"

"…"

Within a matter of seconds, everyone stopped and was in a seat, sitting straight and paying attention. Well, except for two people, sitting next to each other. A boy with raven hair, with a manga over his face, and another boy next to him, with soft blonder hair and brilliant blue eyes, petting a white bunny.

"Well, Natsume-kun, I'd like you to pay attention, too. Ruka-kun, if possible, you too, if you can peel yourself away from Usagi-chan."

The manga slid off the raven boy's face, revealing crimson eyes, and the blue-eyes boy raised his head.

"Who's the ugly girl?" He said, although he was lying. She had mesmerizing chocolate orbs, beautiful, silky, long hair that went below her waist, and curves in all the right places.

"Her name is Mikan Sakura, Natsume," Narumi said sternly. "She's a new student."

"Oh really? What kind of mage are you, girl?" Natsume said, more demanded, glaring at Mikan.

She stayed silent, staring out the window.

"Oi, girl," Natsume repeated, getting irritated.

Again, no response.

"GIRL!"

"…Eh?"

Mikan finally slowly turned her head towards Natsume.

"…Are you…calling _me_? I have a name, Natsume."

The raven-haired boy narrowed his eyes. "How do you know my name?"

Mikan smiled mysteriously. "Yes…how do I know? With Narumi-sensei saying it twice already. "

Narumi sighed.

"And? What kind of mage is she?" Someone random asked.

"Stellar Spirit," Mikan answered flatly.

"What?"

"She's a Stellar Spirit Mage;" Narumi put in. "Thus starts our first lesson. Mikan-chan, your seat is next to Natsume-kun…please try not to fight too much."

At that moment, the door slid open and in walked a short-haired, violet-eyed girl.

"The headmaster said he wanted to see me," she said, handing Narumi a note. "So you can't count me as tardy."

"Ho-Hotaru?" the brunette gasped.

The violet-eyed girl stared at Mikan. "Mikan. Long time no see."

"Hoootaaaruuuu!!!"

Mikan ran forwards and hugged the other girl, and everyone was shocked to see that Hotaru Imai did not try to attack the girl. She was considered the "Ice Queen", and was cold to everyone. They were also shocked that the new student became so friendly, with her attitude before; they expected her to be something like Hotaru, cold and unwilling to talk to people.

"Well…it appears that Mikan-chan already knows Hotaru-chan?"

"We were childhood friends," Hotaru said flatly. "Now get off me, Mikan. Class is starting."

Mikan obediently got off of Hotaru and walked to her seat, as Hotaru walked to hers, in front of Mikan.

"Well then," Narumi said. "This lesson is about the types of mages, although focusing more on stellar spirit mages."

He started to write on the board.

**Elemental Mages: Most common.**

Wind: The hardest element to use. There are not many who can use the power. No one can 'control' the power, as wind is an element that cannot be controlled by mages.

Fire: Less hard to use but not many can take the heat, and control flames.

Water: The second easiest to control, works best when used around bodies of water.

Earth: The easiest to use, as earth is everywhere.

**Miscellaneous****: Not Easily Found**

Machine: Can control machines, or create them. Quite rare.

Gravity: Mages who can float or lift objects.

Food: Those who can combine food items and use them as weapons, such as combing chemicals to produce explosives.

**Transformation: Not Easily Found**

Mages who can transform into something else. Most only have one form.

**Summoners****: Rarest**

Stellar Spirit: Those who can summon spirits from the Stellar world.

Narumi finished writing within a matter of seconds.

"Hmm…this 'Speedy Pen' works quite well…I should ask Misaki where he got this…" he mumbled to himself.

"Of course, there are many miscellaneous types of mages, for instance Pheromone mages, like me, who can attract things."

"…"

"Stellar Spirit Mages are rare, as not many can use their powers to connect roads and open doors of the spirits. Also, rare Stellar Spirits don't give their keys to anyone."

Narumi smiled at Mikan.

"Would you care to explain for me?"

Mikan held up her wrist, showing everyone the keys that dangled from it like charms on a charm bracelet.

"There are two types of keys, Silver and Gold. Silver ones are those you can buy in shops, and are pretty common and just all stellar spirit mages can use them."

"These gold ones summon the spirits of the Ecliptic Zodiac. They're very rare, and you can't get them unless the spirit gives it to you his or her self, or through another spirit."

"Wow…" Someone said.

"Would it be possible to summon one?" Narumi asked politely.

Mikan thought for a moment.

"I've already made a contract with Cancer the crab, Taurus the bull, Aquarius the water bearer, and Virgo the virgin, from the Ecliptic Zodiac…and Lyra, the Lyre, Crux, the Southern Cross, and Horologium, the Clock of the Silver Keys..."

"Wow…that many spirits?" Someone gasped.

"But I don't think the Gold Keys like being called out for no reason…"

Some people looked disappointed.

"Can't you summon your silver keys? Lyra would be nice, she could sing us something." Hotaru said.

"Ah! That's true…Well, then."

Mikan took off the bracelet and chose the silver key with some string instrument etched on the head of the key.

She stood up and held the key in front of her.

"Open!! A door to the Lyre, Lyra!!"

Some sort of steam starting circling around the tip of the key, and soon, a girl appeared.

She wore a long, short-sleeved, black dress that stopped just at her shin, with a white sash tied around her waist and another one hanging over her shoulders. Her dress had frills on the end of the dress and sleeves, and two hearts patched onto the sides of the dress. She wore black shoes, her hair pink and curly at the ends, and she wore a white bonnet over it. On her back were two, miniature wings, along with a large lyre mounted on her back.

"Kyyaahhh! Mikan-chan!! I haven't seen you in a while!! You don't summon me as much anymore!!"

She sat down on Mikan's desk.

"Yayyy! Hotaru-chan's here too!! And…Wow, there are lots of people here!!"

"…" Natsume raised an eyebrow. "What the hell is that?"

Lyra shook her head with immense speed. "No, no! I'm not a 'that'!! I'm the spirit of the Lyre, Lyra!!"

"Well, we're learning about Stellar Spirits and Mages right now…so they wanted to see one." The brunette said.

"Awwww! I'm so flattered to be the one chosen!!" Lyra squealed.

"Would you sing us something, Lyra?" A girl asked.

"Of course!! What would you like me to sing??"

No one responded.

"Anything's fine, then, Lyra." Mikan said, shrugging.

"Then I'll just sing something!! Yayyy." The spirit of the Lyre made a 'thumbs up' sign and started to play the lyre, her fingers gliding over the strings gracefully.

"Like a rush on the beach  
At the end of the day  
When the sand is going to be cold under your way  
The season fades  
And you think everything's lost in the waves

Like a spark in your eyes  
So your love will be mine  
When the sky is going to light and shine  
You take my hands  
And I think that time will give me one more chance

Do you remember  
A kiss under the moonlight  
When it was summer  
It was love at first sight  
Can you remember  
Cause I feel the same now  
Until the winter  
Will see blooming this love

Like a dive in the waves  
I am caught in you love  
And I'm flying in the clouds above  
I feel you near  
And I fear no more the winter 'cause you're here

Do you remember  
A kiss under the moonlight  
When it was summer  
It was love at first sight  
Can you remember  
Cause I feel the same now  
Until the winter  
Will see blooming this love"

Mikan smiled as Lyra finished.

"That was great Lyra!"

"Yayy! Thanks, Mikan-chan!" Lyra waved her arms like crazy.

No one else said a word, as they were still mesmerized by her music.

"Do you want to go back? Or stay for a while?" Mikan asked.

"Hmmm…I'll probably stay for a while!! But I'll have to go soon, because Stellar Spirits can't stay in the human world for too long!!"

"It drains your life force, right?" Hotaru said, as Lyra nodded.

Lyra hummed for a few minutes when realized something.

"AHHH!!! That's right!!"

Mikan jumped a little at the sudden noise. "W-What is it?"

"Aries wanted to make a contract with you, Mikan-chan," Lyra told her. "She's finally ready to get a new summoner."

"Finally?" Hotaru said, raising her eyebrow.

"Aries was abused," Lyra said, her face solemn. "By her previous summoner. She's already dead, though. Aries is pretty shy, and her summoner wasn't very pleasant, either. She used Aries for pretty useless things, like cleaning dishes or something. Taking advantage that Aries is too kind to say 'No'. Aries tried to tell her that she wasn't supposed to be used like this, that it wasn't her job, she was kept in the human world for about a week."

"A WEEK?!" Mikan yelled, shocked. "Spirits can't stay in the human world for that long!!"

Lyra nodded. "She was almost on the verge of disappearing when she was let back. That's why Aries hasn't made a contract since then. It's already been about 60 years…at least Leo tried to get the summoner to cancel their contract."

"She had Leo, too?" Mikan gasped. "That's terrible! She's lost her right for being a Stellar Spirit Mage after abusing Aries!!"

"Yeah…but she eventually canceled the contracts. The person who taught her magic made her."

"…"

Lyra reached into one of the hearts on her pocket, which was apparently a pocket, and handed Mikan a golden Key.

"Aries is really shy, so she asked me to give you the key."

Lyra smiled. "I should get going!! Thanks for letting me out!!"

And with a puff of smoke, she disappeared.

"Lyra was good at singing," Someone said.

"Stellar Spirits are so cool!"

"Aries, huh?"

"Would you care if I made a contract with Aries, Narumi-sensei?" Mikan asked, as she slid the key onto her bracelet through the loop on the head of the key, like a charm bracelet again.

Narumi smiled. "Of course not, go ahead."

"Well then," Mikan said. "How to make a contract with a Stellar Spirit."

* * *

**X.X**

**That was kind of long. Well, for it was. ****:sweatdrop:**

**If anyone****'****s ever read Fairy Tail online or something, you can see some parts from the ****manga.**

**Well, I hope you enjoyed this first Chapter!**

**There****'****s really not much romance yet, or much of Natsume and Ruka at all. ****Hotaru is ****kinda**** in there****…"****:sweatdrop:**

**I tried turning the characters' Alices into a magic, like Narumi had the Pheromone Alice, so I tried making him have a pheromone magic. XD. :sweatdrop:  
**

**So****…****yeah.**** Mikan****'****s ****personality**** is ****kinda**** dark with people she doesn****'****t really now, but friendly and happy with people she does know.**

**…**

**I guess I have a habit of altering ****Mikan****'****s**** regular cheerful personality****…****Haha****…**

**The song that Lyra sang was "Waves" by "DJ Satomi", BTW. **

**Well, Please Review!**

**:D**


	2. What Are You Searching For?

**Woo! Second Chapter of ****"****The Keys to my Heart****"**

**Sorry for the mistakes I made on the last chapter****…**

**When ****Lyra**** was giving Mikan ****Aries'**** Key, I wrote ****"****Lyra**** reached into one of the hearts on her pocket, which was apparently a pocket, and handed Mikan a golden Key.****"**** I meant ****"****Lyra**** reached into one of the hearts on her DRESS****"****, not pocket****…****Ahaha****...Gomen**** ne:****sweatdrop:**

**By the way, since ****'****Fairy Tail****'**** is a ****manga****, I don****'****t know the colors of the ****spirits, so I****'****m making up the hair colors and such****…****:sweatdrop:**

* * *

Everyone watched Mikan intensely as she put a hand to her heart, and held the golden Key with Aries' sign on the head of the key in front of her. She closed her eyes. 

"I am the person who connects the road to the Stellar Spirit World. Thou…shalt respond to the calling and pass through the gate."

Mikan opened her eyes as she continued.

"Open!! A door to the White Lamb, Aries!!"

Again, like when she summoned Lyra, some sort of steam became gathering and circling around the tip of the key. Soon, another girl appeared.

She was taller than Lyra, and had blond, curly hair that stopped at her shoulders, and puffed out like a cloud around her neck. She wore a white, fluffy choker around her neck, and two, curled brown horns sprouted from her head, like a ram. She wore a fluffy white, strapless dress that stopped around her thighs, with little pompoms and ribbons at the bottom, on the sides. On her arms were sleeves that were also fluffy, the same as the dress. White leggings covered her legs, and fluffy white boots went up to a little below her kneecap, with two pompoms in the middle of the boots.

She looked very innocent…and fluffy.

"D-Did y-you c-call me?" She said, obviously very nervous.

"Yes! I would like to make a contract with you, if that's alright?" Mikan said gently.

"A-ah! Y-Yes!!"

Mikan smiled, as she took out a little notebook and pen.

"Will you be free on Mondays?" she asked, as she started to write.

"Ah! H-Hai!"

"Tuesdays?"

"H-Hai!"

"Wednesdays?"

"Um…well…that is…"

Mikan looked up from her writing and smiled.

"It's alright…feel free to tell me whenever you can or can't."

Aries looked a bit uneasy then answered quietly.

"T-then…I'm afraid I can't do Wednesdays…"

"That's fine!" the brunette started to write again.

Mikan and Aries continued with the contract, as the rest of the class watched.

"…It's really plain, don't you think?"

"…I kind of expected it to be cooler…"

"Well, no matter how plain a contract is, it's important to both the Spirit and Summoner. If we summon the spirit on their day off, it's a serious breach of contract!" Mikan called, closing her notebook. "Thank you, Aries. The contract is finished."

"Ah! N-no, Thank you, Mikan-san."

Aries smiled nervously.

"Oi, Ram Spirit." Natsume called. "If you're so scared, why did you make a contract anyways?"

Tears started to well up in Aries' eyes. "I-I'm sorry…it's just that…all the spirits who've made a contract with Mikan-san have been really happy…s-so after 60 years, Leo told me I s-should probably be able to g-get a new summoner…"

"Tch." Natsume looked away. "Weak. Useless."

"I…I'm sorry…"

Mikan narrowed her eyes and hugged Aries.

"Don't be such a bastard, Natsume. Stellar Spirits have feelings like normal people. What do you think magic is for?"

"To destroy. What else?"

"…"

The brunette studied Natsume's face for a minute.

"…What?" The crimson-eyes boy moved back as Mikan's face got closer to his. Her face was deep with concentration. But soon, it softened as she stopped moving forward and he stopped moving back.

"What are you searching for, Natsume?" She whispered, so it was only audible for him.

"!!"

She smiled warmly and turned to Aries again.

"Well, then. I think it might be time for Aries to go back. I don't think you like staying in the human world for too long without reason, right?"

"Y-yes…Thank you again, Mikan-san. I…I'm glad that I met such a great Stellar Spirit Mage." Aries smiled, a pure one, without a hint of nervousness, and disappeared.

Mikan also smiled again, as she slid on her bracelet of keys.

"Well, that's how you make a contract!"

"Aries was cute!"

"She's so innocent!"

Most of the boys started to talk.

"You guys…" Mikan turned to them. "When I summon Aries out again, and you try to take advantage of her…"

The guys shivered at the brunette's face, which was distorted into something incredibly scary.

"I'll make you regret it…"

"Uh…!"

"We were just kidding, ne?"

"Yeah!"

* * *

"Alright." Narumi sensei was finishing up the lesson for the day. 

"One last thing: Your magic won't get better unless you practice using it. Alice Academy also has Missions for students, to increase the magic power you have so you can use stronger magic and practice it, etc. But in addition, you also get rewards, such as Rabbits, the currency of this Academy, or other trinkets…"

Narumi looked at Mikan.

"Or Golden Zodiac Keys."

He saw Mikan's eyes brighten a little.

"I thought you couldn't get Zodiac Keys unless the spirits gave it to you, or through another spirit?" Natsume said.

"That's true. But sometimes, the Spirit's key is just left somewhere until a summoner find it. Or, if there are previous summoners who no longer have the qualification of being a summoner anymore, they pass the key onto someone else, or give it to another summoner." Mikan explained.

"You can lose qualification to be a summoner?" Ruka, who kept quiet until now, asked.

"Mmmhm. For instance, if you die, the contract between the spirit and summoner is broken, and you stay in the spirit world until you find a new summoner. Unless the spirit kills the summoner, either directly or indirectly, they can't return to the Spirit World. Or, if you break a contract, such as summoning a Spirit on its day off, or abuse the spirit, you lose qualification."

"Wow…just for calling a spirit on its day off, you lose qualification as a mage?" Someone asked.

"Yeah…because when you make a contract, you're basically making a promise that you're respecting the Spirit's schedule and personal reasons. Like when Aries said she couldn't work on Wednesday, I made sure to write down that I shouldn't summon her then. Who knows, maybe she doesn't wanna work on Wednesdays, or she has something important then. Spirits can't stay in the human world for too long, because it drains their life force. The regain their life force back in the Spirit World. But it does get tiring for the Spirit to keep coming through the gate to the Human World, and using their powers a lot. They heal their injuries back in the Spirit World, too."

"What's the maximum time a spirit can stay in the Human world?"

"About three years. But that's when you get used to being in the Human World. Combat spirits by nature are probably strong enough to handle it, but spirits like Aries or Lyra, who are gentle, probably won't last longer than about 1 or 2 weeks. Plus it starts to hurt after about 4 hours, like you can't breathe. And the pain gets worse until you finally get used to it. Their life force still drains away even then, though."

"So why couldn't Lyra or Aries stay longer?"

"Well, it depends. Sometimes they're busy, or they don't like staying in the Human World for too long, or they just don't feel like it. Or if another spirit wants or needs to come out. Only one Stellar Spirit at a time can be summoned, unless you have an enormous amount of magic power. "

"Wow…"

"Anyway," Narumi cut in. "Missions are often too dangerous to go alone. It's best to travel with people, even on the easiest ones. Plus some missions require travel, and it's best to travel with people so you don't get lost or kidnapped."

"And despite all these dangers, we're allowed to go…" a random student mumbled quietly.

"Groups MUST be at LEAST four people. Five is the maximum. Please write all names of the members and hand them into me whenever you can. Groups must include of two girls and two boys, with the exception of one more gender for a fifth member. All members MUST approve of the groupings. That is all for today. Class dismissed!

The bell rang as students packed their books.

"A team…huh…?" Mikan mumbled as she packed her books. She glanced at Hotaru.

The Ice Queen looked back an gave a small smile.

"Well then, that's two…but the minimum is four…"

She thought for a moment and glanced at Natsume and Ruka.

"…"

"NATSUME-SAMA!!!"

"PLEASE BE IN A TEAM WITH ME!!"

"NO, ME!!"

"RUKA-KUUUUN! PLEASE!!"

"PERHAPS A LOVE TEAM WITH JUST THE TWO OF US?!"

"The minimum is four, you idiot!"

"…"

Mikan turned away and sighed. Where was she going to get two more people? Damn. Narumi had too many requirements. Plus, they had to be guys, too? Damn.

"Mikan." Hotaru walked over to her, already packed and ready to go.

"Hotaru!" Mikan said, smiling. "Need something?"

"I was thinking about a fight after school. Namely now. I haven't seen you in a while."

"Sure! I'm ready! Um…lemme check who's available today."

The brunette flipped open her notebook and checked its contents.

"Umm…Taurus and Virgo…oh…and…Aquarius…"

Mikan shivered. "Aquarius…but she can only be summoned in water… big bodies of water are best…"

"She still flushes you along with her water attacks?"

Both girls made their way out the door.

"Yeah…"

They made their way towards and open clearing, propping their bags near a large tree.

Natsume and Ruka, who had finally gotten rid of fangirls, also got ready to leave. Natsume looked out the window as everyone but Ruka left the room, to see the new student and Ice Queen preparing for a match.

"Ready?" Hotaru was saying, as she looked at the scenery.

Trees, plenty of rocks, and a small pond of water. Nice.

"Yup."

Mikan held her bracelet in her hand, a golden key.

"Stellar Spirits are okay with practice battles?" Hotaru said emotionlessly.

"Yup. Plus, it gives them more experience with a type of mage."

"Alright then…"

"START!!"

Hotaru touched a large rock that was nearby, forming it into some sort of machine gun.

At the same moment, Mikan held out her key, and saying the incantation more rapidly than before, summoned a Stellar Spirit.

"Open!! A Door to the Golden Bull Palace, TAURUS!!"

Steam, and then the Spirit.

"It's…a bull." Ruka said flatly. "But…It's not that normal."

A bull, standing on two feet, with lots of muscle on its chest, and human hands. Black and white spots like a regular cow, red eyes, two brown horns, and a nose ring. Bandages wrapped around its arms, then black hand gloves and big black boots. And a strap holding against its back, a huge, silver and black axe. And…we'll skip that fact he's wearing some sort of underwear, too.

Hotaru grimaced.

"Of all things…you had to summon the most perverted spirit you have….idiot."

"Mikan-san! You have a nice body, as always. Moo-re amazing than ever."

Mikan smacked her forehead. "I should have known…but, but, Taurus is really strong!!"

"Hotaru-san, too…moo-re beautiful than ever! I wouldn't mind if your shot me with that gun!"

"Taurus, we're in a practice battle. Fight, will you?!" Mikan yelled at him.

"Moo-st sorry, Mikan-san, but I cannot fight against the two moo-st beautiful people."

"…"

"Close…a door to the bull…" the brunette said quietly.

And Taurus disappeared.

"Um, well, then…"

She chose another key and ran to the pond.

"Open!! A door to the Treasure Vase Palace, Aquarius!!"

Another Stellar Spirit was summoned, this time, a mermaid…?

She had the mermaid tail, a beautiful blue, with a brown belt holding a black, rumpled cloth in place. She also had three golden rings on the sides of her tail. A black bra, and a black chocker around her neck, and a design drawn a little below her neck, reaching to near her shoulders. Long, shiny, blue hair, with jewels in the middle of a headdress, wrapped around her forehead. A golden ring around her arms, and another golden ring as a bracelet. Sea green-blue colored crystal earrings dangled on her ears. She carried a large, golden vase, full of water.

"Aquarius! It's a practice battle, but use your water attack!!" Mikan said, confident.

"…Tch."

"Did you just say 'tch'?!"

"Calling me for something so insignificant…plus in such a small pond of water, too!!"

"Whatever! It's Hotaru we're dealing with!!"

Aquarius turned to look at the Ice Queen, still holding the machine gun, waiting for an attack.

"I've been waiting to deal with you…"

"Go, Aquarius!" Mikan called, "But…please be gentle…"

**"…ORAAAHHHHHH!!!!!"**

Aquarius lifted the vase, and water came gushing out, like a huge wave, bringing Mikan with it, and Hotaru, too.

"Anyway. Don't call me tomorrow. It's my day off. And I'm having a date with my boyfriend. With my boyfriend."

"You don't have to repeat it!!" Mikan yelled, trying to steady herself as she rose from the impact of the water.

Aquarius disappeared, as Hotaru rose too.

"You baka…forget the practice battles with you…Stellar Spirits are better in real battle scenarios…"

"Waahhhh! Gomen!!"

"Why couldn't you call Virgo, instead of getting us all wet?!"

"Because Virgo digs holes…I don't think I could win against you with holes…"

"…Forget it. Let's go back…it's cold. If I'm sick tomorrow, you're going to get it tomorrow."

"Wahhh! I'm sorry, Hotaru!! Don't be mad at me!"

Hotaru took a towel from her back and wrapped it around herself.

"Ahhh! How come you have a towel, Hotaru?!"

"…"

Natsume watched the brunette as she went to get her bag.

How idiotic. Childish. How could he let such a person see through him?

"…"

Ruka looked at Natsume for a minute then smiled.

"OOOOIIII! Sakura-san! Imai-san!" He called, as the two girls turned to him.

"We'd like to join your group, if that's alright with you!!"

"…Hontoni?! Waaaiiii! We have four people now! Arigatou, Ruka-kun, Natsume-kun!!" Mikan cheered.

"…What are you planning, Ruka?" Natsume said to his best friend, glaring.

"Nothing. It's just that you smiled when you looked at Sakura-san. You smiling is rare."

"…"

"Demo, is it really okay?" Mikan called to them.

"…Ruka's already said it once, does he have to say it twice, you idiot?" Natsume said.

"Natsume!! You don't have to be so mean!!"

"…Whatever. Nice bra, polka-dots."

Natsume smirked as she left the window, ready to go to the dorms.

"…?"

With the water, the clothes stuck to the brunette's body, and the raven-haired boy could see through them. Hotaru had the towel, so she was fine.

"…"

Well, time to run.

3…

2…

1…

**"****NATSUME YOU PERVERT!!!! HENTAI!!! ENEMY OF WOMEN!!!! ****BAKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!****"**

Birds flew from their nests, bears ran back to their dens.

"WAHHHH! Now I can't get married!" Mikan wailed to Hotaru.

"Shut up, baka. You're getting me even more wet."

"Coldhearted!"

Natsume smiled inside.

Perhaps he could deal with this one girl.

Just this one, who could see through him after hiding his emotions all these years.

_"__What are you searching for, Natsume?__"_

* * *

**Woo! Chapter two is done.**

**Natsume-kun is a bit OOC here****…****sweatdrop****: Sorry.**

**Hotaru might be a bit kinder, too****…**

**I****'****m not making up the personalities of the Stellar S****p****irits, by the way. Although the only ones that are in the ****manga**** currently are Virgo, Cancer, Leo, ****Lyra****, Crux, ****Horologium****, Taurus, Aquarius, Sagittarius, Nicola(which is ****actually**** a dog, for people who haven****'****t read ****Fairy**** Tail. But if you****'****ve ever read ****"****Rave****"**** or seen the anime, Nicola is ****Plue)****…****and I think that****'****s it. **

**So if your sign doesn****'****t have a good personality in here, please don****'****t be mad****…****I don****'****t make ****their**** personalities****…****unless it****'****s a sign not listed above. ****:sweatdrop: **

**Um, so yeah****…**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! P****l****ease remember to review! **


	3. Infiltrating

**Authors Notes: **Whoa, I haven't updated this in a while. I was really concentrating more on Manipulated and Love is Just Plain Hell…

But here's chapter three of the Keys to my Heart!!

_**!!ATTENTION!! –**_

**My Hopeless Romantic is holding a Reader's Choice Awards!! Voting Starts April and nominations end at the end of March! (Sorry for telling you guys this late!!) Visit her Profile for the link to the forum!!**

* * *

_**The Keys to my Heart**_

_**Chapter Three**_

* * *

The next morning was a beautiful day. You know, those prefect days full of sunshine and flowers…

"_**WHAT!!"**_

…Or perhaps not.

Sumire screeched as Narumi was announcing the teams, to make sure there was no mistake.

She practically shattered the windows once she heard that Mikan, Hotaru, Ruka and Natsume were going to be a team.

Mikan stared out the window.

"Shut up, Permy…the weather today's so nice, so don't ruin it for everyone…"

"Sakura! How _dare _you create a team with my Natsume-kun!!"

Hey, hey, do you smell something? Like…burning…?

"_KYAAAAAAAAAA!!" _Sumire screamed, running around in circles. "Someone, water!! My hair's on FIRE!!"

Well, we know what was burning…

Natsume smirked.

…And who burned it.

Natsume Hyuuga, the fire mage.

Someone dumped a bucket of water on the green-haired girl, and she calmed down.

"There's not much to say today," Narumi said, walking in the classroom. "All job requests are now posted in the back of the room. Feel free to take any of them, but make sure to place the paper in this basket, so we know it's taken. Otherwise, classes are canceled for today."

Mikan jumped up immediately once Narumi left the room, skipping to her team.

"Hey, hey, let's start one today!!" The brunette suggested.

"Fine."

"Sure."

"Whatever."

Were the three replies she got. And so she walked to the back of the room, scanning over to the pieces of paper stuck onto the cork board by a thumbtack.

"Let's see…" She mumbled to herself.

"Saving a lost cat, 500 rabbits…finding a lost key, 300 rabbits….Mou, these jobs are kind of ridiculous…"

But something else caught her eye.

"Retrieving a book…4,000 rabbits and an Ecliptic Zodiac Key?!"

She immediate grabbed the job and ripped it from the board.

"Guys, guys, this one!!" She said, holding the paper up for them to see.

"Four thousand rabbits? Just for retrieving a book?" Ruka gasped. "That's crazy!"

"Ah," Narumi said, walking over to them. Whoa, since when did he come back?

"The reward has been raised to 8,000 rabbits. It seems that the owner really wants the book found."

"EIGHT THOUSAND RABBITS?!" Mikan and Ruka shouted. Natsume and Hotaru's eyes just widened. Slightly. Other students stared at them and started whispering.

"_Did you hear that? Eight thousand rabbits!"_

"_Whoa, we missed a good job…"_

Mikan smirked.

"We're taking it!"

And the paper was thrown into the basket.

* * *

"Oh my God…are these people crazy? What's so special about this book?! This is like an army!!" Mikan whispered to Hotaru.

"How are we going to get through this?" Ruka said, worried.

All four members of team one sat on the branches of a rather tall tree.

"We can just burn our way through," Natsume said, a fireball igniting on his palm.

"That'll attract too much attention." Hotaru snapped.

"Hmm…maybe we can go…under them…" Mikan said, smirking.

"You idiot, how are we going to—" the fire-caster started, but the brunette pressed her index finger to his lips. He blushed slightly.

"Watch me."

She took off her bracelet, searching through her keys. It only took a few seconds, and she held it out to the side of where she was sitting, so the spirit had somewhere to land.

"Open!! A door to the Virgin, Virgo!!"

The familiar steam started forming around the tip of the key, and soon, the Stellar Spirit came out, landing on the branch.

"How may I help you, my mistress?" A female voice asked.

A woman with short, blonde hair, dressed in a maid's uniform. A frilly, white headdress topped her head and a black dress that went a little below her thighs, with a frilly white apron over it covered her body. She wore white stockings, and black shoes. Her eyes were a pretty blue colour, and she looked like a normal maid, except for the metal cuffs around her wrists, and a medium-length chain with a loop at the end attached to them.

"…" Ruka and Natsume just stared.

"Hey, Virgo," Mikan greeted, as the spirit smiled. "Could you dig an underground tunnel for us? All the way to the back of the building, and if possible, quiet enough so those people won't notice, and big enough so we could walk upright?"

"Of course, my mistress," Virgo responded, and she clapped her hands together, then jumped from the branch, diving into the concrete ground.

"Whoa!!" Ruka gasped, as Virgo went though quickly and quietly.

Mikan smiled.

"Virgo is really good at digging holes and tunnels, so for situations like this where we have to go unnoticed, she's really useful."

"Let's go," Mikan said, and all four of them jumped, landing quietly and nicely on the ground.

Well, except for Ruka, who was a bit clumsy, but he managed to land correctly with some help from Natsume.

* * *

_Drip…drip…_

"What the hell is up with this place?' Natsume said, disgusted.

"How many rooms _are _there…?" Ruka asked nervously, as a drop of water landed on his head.

They could all hear the scratching of spiders and other insects on the floors and ceilings.

"…" Mikan kept quiet.

"This is unnatural…nobody would place this much security on top…" Hotaru said nonchalantly.

Mikan bit her fingernail as the group made their way underground.

"Hey, what was the name of the book again?" She asked.

"…I think it was 'Laviver'," Ruka responded.

"…No wonder."

"What?"

"Laviver…otherwise known as 'Revival' spelled backward. It's a book about reviving the dead."

"That's why there's so much security??" Ruka asked.

"Reviving the dead is forbidden," Hotaru told him. "And it requires sacrifice…."

"Sacrifice…?"

Natsume narrowed his eyes.

_I've heard of this before..._

"The sacrifice is an animal, a person, or a body part. And a large quantity of a certain blood type." Mikan continued for Hotaru.

"Whatever the person's blood type was is the type you need. If the person's blood type was A, then you need a huge amount of type A blood…and…you also need someone's skeleton."

The foursome finally reached a brightly lit room.

"We're in," Mikan said.

"Split up and look for the book. The library should be the best, but search any rooms you think might be hiding the book." Hotaru commanded.

"Nogi, come with me. Hyuuga and Mikan go that way."

So they separated.

"…How did you know so much about the revival of the dead?" Natsume asked her as soon as they were alone.

"…N-Natsume…t-there are some t-things I-I c-can't answer…"

The brunette's voice was cracking.

"Then you've--?!"

"NATSUME!"

The girl turned to look at the fire mage, but she averted her eyes. Natsume could see that she was about to just break out crying.

"I…I c-can't…t-tell you right n-now…"

Natsume sighed.

A maid walked by, carrying a pot of flowers. Natsume and Mikan hid behind a wall, and the came back out once she left.

"Find the book."

The continued to walk in silence, and they checked several rooms, until they finally came upon a room with two large glass doors.

Through them, they could see what looked like a library.

Countless shelves filled with countless books. A single table sat in the middle of the room.

They both walked in without a word, picking a book off the shelf.

"What the hell…" Natsume said after a couple of minutes.

"This room is filled with the same book!!" Mikan said for him.

"'_Laviver'…"_

"All but one is a copy," Natsume said, his eyes narrowing. "You can tell the difference."

Mikan looked at Natsume, and they both looked at all the shelves.

"…Ready for Hell, Natsume?"

He snorted.

* * *

**Who knows How Many Hours Later?**

"Where the hell is the freaking book?!" Mikan screamed, flipping through another copy of the Book of Revival.

"Shut up, little girl," Natsume told her, also flipping through a book. "Just keep looking. You're too noisy."

"I give up!!" Mikan whined, plopping herself down next to Natsume.

"You give up too easily, little girl. You're the one who wanted to search for the book. And we don't even know if the real book is in the Library."

"I didn't know it would be this hard—"

Natsume stopped flipping through another copy of Laviver, and glanced at the brunette.

"…It's here."

"What?"

"The book…It's…here…."

She walked over to the fourth shelf in the library and picked out the fourth book.

"…This…it's...this is the real copy..."

The fire mage raised and eyebrow. "How do you know that?"

Mikan looked at him.

"I…really don't know. Usually, a wind mage can do these kind of things…but I'm a Stellar Spirit Mage, so how—"

"Oh, so you've actually found the right copy?"

Both mages turned to the glass doors, to see tall, skinny, dark blue-haired man dressed in a black suit.

Mikan smirked.

"So you're the owner of this mansion?"

"What did you expect? My name is Rai Takehashi."

"Hmmm…some perverted old fart? There are a lot of women maids around here."

"Why yes, that's because I love women."

Mikan grimaced. _This guy…is…really perverted…_

"Although, I would have preferred to have Virgo as a Stellar Spirit, because she appears in any form you wish her to appear in…a loyal Stellar Spirit."

"…What kind of mage are you?" Natsume said, narrowing his eyes.

"You dumbass!!" the brunette told him.

Mikan quickly slid off her bracelet, and chose a random key.

But at the same time she was doing that, the man started:

"Open!! A door to the Lion, Leo!!"

The combat spirit, Leo the lion appeared as his owner summoned him.

Wild and slightly spiky orange-yellow hair, the colour of a Lion's mane. Sunglasses covered his brown eyes, and he wore a black T-shirt with a white jacket over it, with fur around the rim of the hood. The jacket had several pockets and buttons, and he wore brown, baggy jeans with large pockets on the side, and large, white sneakers.

"L-Leo?!" Mikan gasped.

Leo smiled.

"Hello, pretty lady. My name is Loki, the Lion spirit."

"Y-You're the one who tried to get Aries' previous summoner to cancel her contract?!"

Loki gasped.

"You…You're Aries' new summoner?!"

"What's wrong, Leo?!" Rai yelled. "Get on with it!!"

He punched the spirit, which left a purple mark on Loki's cheek.

"!!" Mikan gritted her teeth. How dare he treat a stellar spirit that way?!

"Open!! A door to the White Lamb, Aries!!"

Aries appeared a bit differently, like a stream of bubbles gathering rather than steam.

But rather than being nervous and quiet, as soon as she appeared, she broke into a question.

"Leo, What happened?! You haven't been in the spirit world for six months now!! And even when you're let back, you don't even stay up to a maximum of three minutes!!"

Mikan could see Loki's eyes soften.

"Aries…"

"You're in my previous situation!! I…what…what happened?!"

Loki smiled weakly.

"I supposed you could say my key fell into the hands of that kind of summoner."

"Look…you barely have any energy!! Look at all the wounds you have!!"

"Aries…I'm going to get that bastard to cancel his contract." Mikan told her, her chocolate orbs widening.

The Lion spirit's eyes widened, like he wished for that, but in the end, it seemed hopeless for him and he gave up on the idea.

"Ha! Cancel my contract with Leo? An Ecliptic Zodiac?! I don't think so!!"

"Aries, I'm going to get out Taurus, okay?"

"…Good luck, Mikan-san…"

Aries disappeared in a stream of bubbles again.

"Open!! A door to the Golden Bull Palace, Taurus!!"

And once again, Taurus appeared, his axe in hand.

"FOR MIAKN-SAMAAA!!"

"Go!!"

And the bull charged forward, his axe held high.

"Tch!! Hurry UP, LEO!!" Rai demanded.

Loki reluctantly slid a ring off his finger, and it shone with a white light, blinding the bull.

"Moooh?!"

"Taurus?!"

Natsume sighed. He stood silent all this time, but he clapped his hands together, creating a large flame.

"…I'll be your opponent this time, Lion."

As Natsume fought with Loki, although they dodged each of the other's attacks, Mikan took this chance to find another Stellar Spirit. Loki used ring magic, and usually he used bright lights to blind the opponent. Or so she had heard from other spirits.

"Dammit…Cancer's off today too…If only there was water, I could summon Aquarius…"

And at that moment, the ceiling came crashing down.

"AHHH!!"

"ARGH!"

"Ouch…"

Water poured into the room, and it was reaching up to their thighs.

"Nogi!! What the hell did you just do?! I told you not to mess with the water pipes!!"

"I tripped! I'm sorry!!"

"Hotaru! Ruka!" Mikan exclaimed. She smiled, and held Aquarius's key in her hand. "Thanks. This mistake turned out to have a good benefit."

"Open!! A door to the Treasure Vase Palace, Aquarius!!"

The familiar spirit appeared once again.

"Leo…WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?! ARIES PRACTICALLY KILLED HERSELF WORRYING!!" Aquarius shouted, raising her vase, and creating a large wave.

Rai and Leo were both swept back, and for once, Mikan wasn't brought along with the waves. Natsume got a bit drenched though, since he was next to Loki, fighting him.

The mansion's owner was on his back, and Mikan walked over and stepped on his stomach.

"Cancel your contract right now."

"Do…you think…I'd listen…?"

She stepped on him, harder, grinding her heel into his stomach, and he coughed.

"DO IT!!"

"I…am one…who forges a path…to the Stellar…Spirit World. I…hereby…terminate…thy Leo's…contract."

The spirit glowed for a few seconds, and tears came to his eyes.

Mikan smiled.

"Aries should be happy now. Of course, you too. So hurry up and spend some time in the Spirit World."

Loki covered his face, the tears avalanching down his face, as part of his body dissolved, returning him back to the spirit world.

The Golden Key with Leo's symbol on the head appeared in Mikan's hand.

"_Thank you…"_

Mikan's smile got wider.

But she glanced at the book that she was holding in her hand all this time.

"Laviver…the book of revival. It's time to deal with this now."

* * *

**Writer's End Notes:**

Okie!! That ends the third chapter.

Sorry, I was kind of having writer's block, so the characters are probably a bit OOC and revert back to their normal personality throughout this chapter. That might be a little weird.

So for those who have read the latest chapters of Fairy Tail, you should know about how Kaby Melon wanted Lucy, Natsu and Happy wanted to retrieve "Daybreak". This chapter is a mix of the Daybreak chapters and Loki's chapters.

It might have moved too quickly, so I'm sorry if it seemed like that.

I really like using Aries, but I don't know what kind of powers she uses to fight, or perhaps she's just doesn't fight at all. Aries never appeared much in the manga.

I don't know Loki's magic, either. He does use ring magic, but I don't know if he uses light or something. So I made that up. :sweatdrop:

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :D

Please review!


	4. Revealing

**Writer's Notes: **Well, here's chapter four of **The Key to my Heart! **Sorry for the wait. XP**  
**

* * *

Mikan held the book to her chest as they walked out of the mansion.

"I'm kind of hungry…" Ruka sighed.

"Then go test out those apples." Hotaru responded, pointing to a large tree, full of large, red apples.

"Y-You're using me as a test subject?"

"Bingo."

"B-But…"

"You idiot. You're too slow. I already used this poison-checker."

Hotaru and Ruka walked to the tree, picking the ripe fruit.

Natsume was nowhere to be seen.

Mikan looked around cautiously, before staring at the Book of Revival.

"…"

Her hand shaking, she opened the cover, before slowly flipping through a few pages.

"…What are you doing?" a masculine voice came from behind her.

"KYAAAAAAAAAA!!"

The brunette screamed, dropping the book. She turned around, her eyes flashing with anger.

"What the hell was that for, Natsume?!"

His hair was wet; droplets of water sliding down his face.

"…What happened?"

"I was looking for water, little girl. You still haven't answered my question."

"You haven't either, Natsume."

"I was washing my face, all right? Now, why did you—"

Mikan covered his mouth with her hand.

"S-Shut up, Hyuuga. I don't need anyone else to know. I…"

"Hurry up. Whatever you're doing over there can wait later. Pick up Laviver, Mikan, and let's go. We're still on a job." Hotaru's voice was slightly muffled, as she was eating an apple.

Natsume glared at the brunette as she picked up the book and ran to her best friend, without looking back at Natsume.

"Let's go."

"Where?"

"To return the book."

* * *

"There it is!" Mikan said, as they continued to fly (with Hotaru's invention, the Duck-Scooter).

A huge, white laboratory came into view as the four members parked their scooters.

"…Hello?" the brunette cautiously knocked on the white door.

It slowly creaked open.

"…"

"Do we go in?" Ruka asked, peering into the darkness of the building.

"…That's rude, Nogi." Hotaru told him.

They all waited for a couple of minutes, but there seemed to be no sign of anyone.

"…Do we go in now?" Ruka asked again, smirking slightly.

"Shut up, Nogi."

"…Pardon our intrusion…" Mikan called, as she opened the door a bit more, entering the white laboratory.

"…You're Team 1 from Alice Academy, I presume…?" a feminine voice said from somewhere in the darkness.

Mikan and Ruka jumped slightly as lights were flicked on.

Before them stood a tall, slender woman with short dark blue hair held back by a white headband and lighter blue eyes. She seemed young, about 24, wearing a white lab coat.

"I suppose you are Natuki Mistumi-san?" Hotaru said, as the woman nodded.

"H-Hai…" Mikan answered. "We've come to deliver Laviver…"

"Ah, the Book of Revival…" another voice said, a male voice this time.

Mikan and Ruka jumped again, upon seeing a ghostly figure step next to the woman.

His skin was very, very pale, almost white, and slightly wrinkled. His hair was lighter than Natsuki's, and his eyes were a grey colour. He was old, probably around 48, also wearing a white lab coat with large pockets on the side.

"…And you're Natsuki-san's father, Ruuya Mistumi-san?"

He nodded.

"You've brought Laviver?"

Mikan held out the book, her hands shaking again.

"H-Hai…"

Ruuya looked at her for a minute; his eyes seemed to look right through her.

"…Revival requires great sacrifice, miss. And if you fail to complete the ritual for revival, what you will have is a chimera."

He still didn't take the book. Mikan's hands still shook as she looked at the ground.

"…Oh?"

"…A loss is a loss. Reviving the dead just bring both sides sorrow. The dead must rest in peace."

"…"

The brunette said nothing as the man lifted the book from her hands.

"…This book causes nothing but failure and sorrow…"

He reached into his pocket, bringing out a box of matches. He lit one, dropping both the book and the match onto the floor.

Everyone took a step back as the book burst into flames, crackling occasionally until the flame died away, leaving nothing but a pile of ashes.

"…"

"Mission complete…" Hotaru said quietly.

Natsuki and Ruuya walked back into the darkness of their laboratory as Mikan, Natsume, Hotaru and Ruka flew back towards Alice Academy.

* * *

"Good Job!!" Narumi shouted, as the four members opened the door to the faculty room to report.

"The client was very pleased!"

"…"

Mikan said nothing.

"They sent the rewards here because you guys left without them giving it to you."

The teacher handed them each a small bag, which most likely contained the reward money, and a golden key to Mikan.

"…Sagittarius." She said, linking it onto her bracelet.

"…Are you okay, Sakura?" Ruka asked. "You seemed kind of absent minded after we gave Laviver to Ruuya-san."

"E-Eh? I'm okay. I think I'm just tired…I'm going back to my room for a little…"

"Ah, Mikan-chan, don't forget to take your share of 2,000 rabbits." Narumi said, throwing a smaller bag to her.

She caught it without looking back and left the room.

"…"

Natsume stared at her as she left, closing the door quietly.

"I'm going back to my room."

And he left.

* * *

Although Mikan never went back to her room.

The brunette had gone to the back of the Academy, where a large sakura tree had bloomed.

She leaned against the wall of the Academy, staring at her keys.

She closed her eyes.

"…"

The wind caressed her hair as the pink petals from the tree floated around.

"So?"

Her eyes snapped open to see the fire mage right in front of her.

"Why were you trying to read the Book of Revival?"

The Stellar mage tried to run, but Natsume grabbed her wrists and pinned her to the wall.

"You never answered my question."

Mikan's eyes suddenly turned cold.

"I…I don't need to tell you."

Natsume tightened his grip.

"You've escaped once, and you're not getting away this time."

The brunette closed her eyes and sighed shakily. What else was she supposed to do now?

"…I've tried it."

"What?"

"I've tried it. Reviving someone. I tried to revive my dad. I failed, and I turned him into a chimera. Okay?! Are you happy now?! I turned him into a chimera, and I had to kill him!!"

She broke, falling to her knees, sobbing.

"Chimeras are just monsters…but I made him with my dad's remains. He can never rest in peace this way…"

The tears were endless, her chest hurt, but she couldn't stop. She covered her face, embarrassed, her tears soaking her hands.

Natsume put his hand on her head, and looked away.

"Stop crying. It's all in the past…you don't need to remember."

Mikan hiccuped several times, rubbing eyes.

"I can't believe I let you see me like that. I rarely cry in front of even Hotaru…"

The fire mage smirked.

"Then I can blackmail you."

The stellar mage gasped, before getting up and trying to punch him.

"YOU'RE JUST LIKE HOTARU!...Almost!"

Natsume smirked.

"You know, you stopped crying pretty fast."

"You expected me to cry for an hour? I'll do that when I'm alone."

He raised an eyebrow, before turning to walk away.

"…Hey, Natsume?" Mikan's voice was quiet.

"Hn?"

He didn't stop walking.

"…So...what are you searching for? I never got an answer, either."

The fire mage stopped.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…Natsume?"

He turned to look at her, and Mikan was slightly surprised when she saw his face.

He looked hurt. His eyes said everything, like he didn't want to talk about it.

Natsume's face still held the normal cool expression, but she could tell.

"…My…sister."

"…What?"

Mikan froze when she heard this.

"…What was her name?"

"…Aoi."

Natsume answered, slightly suspicious of Mikan's reaction.

"W-Was her real name…Aoiyuki? The 'Blue Snow'? And she should be a year younger than us, 15?"

The crimson-eyed lad narrowed his eyes.

"…Why do you know so much about Aoi?"

"When I was eight…she…she…was the one…who taught me magic…"

"What?! Aoi couldn't use magic!"

"But…she told me since her family was a line of fire mages, she did her best to study magic so she wouldn't be looked down on. But when she met me, she taught me magic."

"…She taught you fire magic?"

Mikan shook her head.

"Didn't you know? Aoiyuki has a miscellaneous power that distinguishes what type of mage someone is. So if someone hasn't learned magic yet, she can tell what mage they qualify as. She said I was going to be a Stellar Spirit mage, and so she taught me summoning magic…"

Natsume said nothing.

He hadn't known. Aoi could never use magic.

"A-Aoiyuki studied the all sorts of magic, even though she couldn't use them, so she made me promise I would be the best Stellar Spirit Mage…she was a very good friend, so that's why…I'm trying to collect all the Ecliptic Zodiac keys…after I moved, I never saw her again…"

"…I didn't see her either." Natsume said flatly. "When did you move?"

"March 27…"

"Then, three days later, she disappeared. I went to her room, and it was literally torn up. Her bed was flipped over, her clothes were thrown everything, and glass was broken. And then…there was a huge splatter of blood."

From a pocket, he fished out a picture and tossed it to Mikan.

She gasped as she saw the scene.

"…I…want you…all…dead…?" the brunette read. The blood was smeared onto the white walls.

"T-Then, Aoiyuki…?"

"I don't know if she's even alive."

* * *

**Writer's End Notes: **Well, that ends chapter four. Sorry that it's kind of short. D:

Aoi's real name is Aoiyuki (Blue Snow). At least, I'm pretty sure it is.

So…yeah.

I'm kind flustered right now and how to continue…mostly because since after my spring break ends, I have state testing…and my break is ending pretty soon…NOOOOO!!

So yus. I'm a little stressed, but I'll try my best to keep updating. XP


End file.
